England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) director of cricket, Ashley Giles, insisted that the national door is still open for Alex Hales despite not awarding a central contract to the opener.

He was dropped from the national side before the World Cup 2019 for recreational drug use.

Giles further added that the 30-year-old can still play for England if he manages to gain the lost trust by working hard and putting up big runs on the board at the domestic level.

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On September 22, Giles told BBC: “The door isn't closed. He's a very fine short-format player. In the immediate term, he hasn't played a lot of cricket this year for us for different reasons and, as [captain] Eoin Morgan has said, there's a certain amount of trust that needs to be gained back. He needs to keep working hard and getting the runs - but if he does that, who knows?”

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On the latest national contracts, the ECB official explained, “The way the central contracts are lined up, with 10 Test contracts and 12 white-ball, does not mean white-ball is more important.”

Giles signed off by saying, “But there is more room for manoeuvre in red-ball contracts and places up for grabs, so good opportunities for people and a chance for them to take them.”

(With BBC Inputs)